The Department of Agriculture concisely conveyed its mounting worry over the spotted lanternfly when it created the hotline to report the bug: “1-888-4BADFLY.”

The invasive pest is becoming more visible even as Pennsylvania authorities — with $20 million in federal and state funding — scramble to stop it from spreading beyond the counties where it’s been found so far.

“We want the public to not only understand the urgency of this problem, but also be able to help us in trying to eliminate it,” Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding said Monday in an update on containment efforts.

The spotted lanternfly was discovered in District Township, Berks County four years ago. Like other notorious bugs — the emerald ash borer and brown marmorated stink bug — it was an accidental import from Asia, and is spreading prolifically because it has no natural predators here.

A quarantine zone has spread from a handful of Berks County municipalities in 2014 to 13 counties today.

That includes Lehigh, where the pest suddenly seems to be everywhere. Even in places relatively bare of trees — downtown Allentown, for example — the red and black nymphs and the polka-dotted grown-ups are turning up on trees and sidewalks. A cursory survey of the neighborhood around The Morning Call building turned up a half-dozen mature flies on Tuesday.

Beer and wine lovers have particular reason to loathe the lanternfly. It poses a grave risk to hops and grapes. It also hits orchards and various kinds of trees, meaning it's a threat to lumber. Combined, the industries under threat are worth $18 billion to the state’s economy.

The containment effort is being funded with a $17.5 million federal contribution and $3 million in state money.

“If people are aware of the pest, and know what it looks like, they can report sightings to us so that we can respond more quickly,” Redding said. “If the insect is found someplace outside of the quarantine zone, the sooner we know about it, the sooner we can react and prevent it from spreading.”

Timothy Newcamp, USDA APHIS State Plant Health Director in Pennsylvania, said scientists are studying the effectiveness of different pesticides, working on traps and lures and exploring “biological control options,” which means introducing a natural predator.